1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear and in particular to an article of footwear including a support member and an indicia member that are visible through a transparent heel portion.
2. Description of Related Art
Articles of footwear with spring-like support members that may be visible through a portion of the heel have been previously disclosed. Chou (U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,374) teaches a sole of a shoe with springs disposed inside a cavity of the heel of the sole. The Chou design is configured to provide an excellent resilience when a user is walking or running. In the Chou design, portions of the inside of the heel of the sole, including the springs, may be visible through window like features in the heel of the sole.
In the Chou design, a plurality of springs are disposed within a retaining bracket that is further associated with a cavity in the heel of the sole. The retaining bracket may be made of a transparent material. The sole may also include several through-holes on the sides and rear of the heel that correspond to protruding blocks of the retaining bracket. Furthermore, on the bottom of the cavity, a semi-transparent sheet may allow a user to view some portions of the cavity from the bottom of the sole.
Lacey (U.S. patent number 2006/0283044) teaches a shoe with a damping element configured to improve the cushioning and damping behavior of the shoe. The damping element is a plate-type base that comprises a plurality of recesses that hold damping parts. The damping element and damping parts are made of plastic. The damping element is removable by sliding the damping element out of a receptacle in the side of the sole of the shoe.
Dixon (U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,431) teaches a shock absorbing shoe with an adjustable insert. Dixon teaches a shoe with a sole with a horizontal aperture that goes through the heel of the sole from one side to the other side. Within the aperture, four springs are positioned vertically to provide cushioning and support. The Dixon design includes clear plastic covers that are positioned over the ends of the aperture on the first side of the heel and the second side of the heel. This configuration allows the springs to be visible along the sides of the heel.
Transparent soles have also been previously proposed. Lee (U.S. patent number 2006/0174521) teaches a shoe that emits light. Lee teaches this shoe to provide a new aesthetic design for a shoe. The shoe includes a transparent sole, including a transparent heel, and a light emitting device. The light emitting device includes several light emitting elements that produce light which may be visible through the transparent sole and heel. It should be noted that the shoe disclosed by Lee is a high-heeled shoe such as a dress shoe and Lee makes no mention of any other type of shoe.
Footwear configured to display indicia have also been proposed. Brooks (U.S. patent number 2002/0088143) teaches a footwear sole with an integral display element on the bottom of the shoe that is intended to prevent the display element from being worn away. The footwear sole is made of two layers, a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is associated with the bottom of the shoe and is made of a semi-transparent material. A second layer is placed on top of the first layer and is positioned closer to a wearer's foot than the first layer. A display element may be integral with the lower surface of the second layer such that the display element is visible through the first layer along the bottom of the shoe. The display element could be made of any material and may illustrate any color and/or pattern.
The prior art has several shortcomings. The soles of the related art generally include small windows for viewing into the sole. There is no teaching of a sole with a transparent heel region, allowing for full visibility of spring-like shock absorbing systems as well as allowing for visibility of additional indicia associated with the shock absorbing systems. There is a need in the art for footwear that solves these problems.